Spinach Masala with Organic Brown Rice and Naan Bread

As of yesterday, we officially have a two-year old little boy. From the time Brighton was little, we couldn’t help but feel like his name’s been prophetic, often hearing others say “BrightON is so fitting, he brightENs all things”. His middle name, Asher, means “to be happy or blessed”. And truly, he is such a happy little guy and absolutely one of the biggest blessing in and of our lives. In short, his smiles and giggles are endless, loves to be the center of attention, has never met a stranger, and most definitely has a little defiance and stubbornness in him. He fills our hearts with more joy and love than we knew was possible and challenges me to not only want to be the best mother I can be, but in general the very best version of myself. A challenge I feel I often fail, but each day I am learning more and more.

I know, sappy into…sorry! In my defense, I’m 36 weeks pregnant and feeling a bit sentimental + I couldn’t let his birthday come and go without acknowledging how special he is.

It’s hard to imagine what life will be like in a few short weeks once Adelaide arrives, but I truly cannot wait! Although I have no doubt things are going to be a bit crazy and most definitely an adjustment as we go from one child to two. I’ve made a few freezer meals for that time, and a good friend of mine {also pregnant and due just a few weeks after me🙌🏻} and I are planning to get together to make more for each of our families. However, I love having recipes like this Spinach Masala with Organic Brown Rice and Naan Bread that come together quickly and use some prepackaged frozen ingredients that I can have on hand for when the freezer meals run out.

It would be easy to have Josh just stop and pick dinner up whenever needed, but I truly want to continue feeding our family wholesome meals from home, as we figure out this parenting-of-two thing.

Many of you know of my deep affection for Sprouts, but if you’re new to Lemons and Basil or new to Sprouts, let me reiterate that I truly love this store. They have such wonderful sales on their produce, an amazing variety of organic foods, and in general source healthy products made with high-quality ingredients.

In addition to the frozen meals I made {plan to make} ahead of time and store in my freezer for when Adelaide arrives, I have every intention of also shopping the Sprouts frozen section and picking up a couple of organic veggie pizzas, veggie burgers, madras lentils and naan bread, along with other prepackaged meals that I know are loaded with healthy ingredients and high in nutrition.

Today, August 9th, actually starts their Frozen Frenzy sale, in which many of their amazing frozen products will be on sale. For this recipe, I picked up a couple packs of their Garlic Naan Bread, a box of Padma’s Organic whole grain brown rice, and a bag of frozen organic cut leaf spinach. Aside from those few ingredients, a can of garbanzo beans and tomatoes and a lot of great seasonings, there is really very little to making this Spinach Masala.

It comes together quickly, is full of so much flavor, and makes a delicious, hearty weeknight meal. Whether you’re in the phase of life we’re in with little ones, have older children starting back to school, or work full-time with a crazy busy schedule, I think we can all agree that having some healthy recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or so is a very good thing!

This dish is also vegetarian and can easily be gluten-free by nixing the Naan bread and simply eating the Spinach Masala over the Organic Rice. It’s a versatile meal, easily adaptable to whatever dietary needs your family has and is definitely one of my new favorite go-to’s! Don’t forget to check out Sprouts’ Frozen Frenzy Sale!.

Add olive oil and ground ginger to large sauce pan over medium heat. Stir oil and ginger together, then add minced garlic and chopped onions. Cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes or until onions have softened and are translucent.

While the onions are cooking, place spinach in a medium sauce pan with water, bring to a boil and cook 4-6 minutes or until spinach is tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool 5 minutes or so, then transfer to refrigerator on hot pad for another 5-7 minutes. This is to make sure the spinach and water have cooled enough to be transferred to a food processor. Once it’s cooled, add it to the bowl of a food processor, including water, and pulse several times to better chop the spinach, careful not to puree.

Once onions have softened and are translucent, add garham masala, cumin, coriander powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, turmeric and black pepper. Stir and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Then add the diced tomatoes, stir to combine, and cook for another five minutes or until the tomato begin to break down. Use back of fork to mash larger tomatoes pieces. Stir almond milk into the skillet, then add the cooked and blended spinach along with the water.

Finally, add the rinsed, drained and slightly mashed garbanzo beans, then stir to combine all ingredients. Taste to see if more salt or seasonings are desired.

Just before you’re ready to serve, remove Naan bread from bag, add to baking sheet and heat in the oven for 1½-2 minutes or until hot.

Serve Spinach Marsala hot over organic brown rice with Naan bread.

Notes

*Nutrition info is for Spinach Marsala only and DOES NOT include rice or Naan Bread as you may want more or less rice, a different kind of Naan bread, etc.

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Health and nutrition have always been important to me, but over the past several years, my knowledge and interest in food and how it affects our body has really expanded. So, with my love for cooking, organic produce, and whole foods, I hope to inspire you in your cooking adventures and journey of good health, the way so many other food blogs have inspired me!

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Health and nutrition have always been important to me, but over the past several years, my knowledge and interest in food and how it affects our body has really expanded. So, with my love for cooking, organic produce, and whole foods, I hope to inspire you in your cooking adventures and journey of good health, the way so many other food blogs have inspired me! Read More…